So-called crude article packagings are sold worldwide from magnetic tape factories. In these packagings, the magnetic tape is wound onto cores, for example flangeless reel cores (either the so-called NAB cores or stackable reel cores according to U.S. 4,081,151 or others). These so-called pancakes are currently either packed individually or shrunk in collective bundles or held by various cardboard boxes. Such a packaging is known from GB 157 6973.
The disadvantage of the collective packaging mentioned above is that the magnetic tapes are not optimally protected even though the outer layers are protected by Styropore boards and the stacked pancakes are also sealed by a shrink film. The following defects can arise during storage or transportation:
Owing to the shrunk packaging, the outer edges are under tension and exert a pressure on the magnetic tapes contained therein so the reels of magnetic tape can be subjected to plate-shaped deformation.
During horizontal transportation, in other words when the reel of tape or reel core is lying horizontally, step formation or slipping of the reels can occur and thus damage the magnetic tape.
Collective packagings of the above-mentioned generic type are known from EP 0 320 751, in which re-usable core supports which can be secured or screwed in place help to avoid the above-mentioned disadvantages. However, this requires a plurality of parts with the resultant price drawbacks for this type of packaging.
A collective packaging for pancakes is known from U.S. 4,708,246, in which the intermediate layers between the pancakes are adapted to the shape thereof. However, this entails high consumption of packaging material. A collective packaging for stacked fragile articles according to U.S. Pat. No. 2,776,772 has similar disadvantages.
A packaging of the same generic type is known from DE-GM 89 00 709, in which the internal faces of the polygonal pallets are conically tapered in the region of the reel of tape such that the reels of tape lie uniformly on the pallets when the packaging is shrunk. This method of packaging also has the disadvantages that it does not confer adequate strength when combined to form several bundles for transportation, that the pancakes inside are insufficiently protected by the shrink film and that the weld point of the shrink film can damage the packaging and the contents. Furthermore, most of the above-mentioned packagings have the disadvantage that they can only be picked up and set down manually.